The Ruby in the Smoke (Sally Lockhart)

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Customer reviews

review by: BookishRuth.com date: 2008-11-06 rating:
Her name was Sally Lockhart; and within fifteen minutes, she was going to kill a man
In The Ruby in the Smoke, Phillip Pullman combines three of my favorite things: young adult fiction, a good mystery and a Victorian era setting.

Sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart has recently lost her father in a shipwreck. After receiving a mysterious note warning her to "beware of the Seven Blessings", she visits her late father's shipping firm in the hope that someone there can make sense of the note. When she asks one of her father's employees about the Seven Blessings, the man is so terrified that he dies of a heart attack right in front of Sally. And so begins a chain of events that will have Sally questioning the circumstances of her father's death as well as her connection to a priceless Indian ruby. All the while Sally is pursued by a series of villains who are determined to kill her before she can learn the truth.

The Ruby in the Smoke is filled with colorful, vivid characters that seem ready to leap off the page. Sally is a strong female character, but she's not perfect by any means. Pullman avoided the pitfall of turning her into an unrealistic super heroine, while still highlighting her cleverness and charm. Even some of the villains are likeable while still being villainous; I was very amused by one soft-hearted thug who gives a temperance tract to a drunken man he's just beaten up.

With witty dialogue and twists and turns on nearly every page, The Ruby in the Smoke is a delightful and exciting read. I highly recommended it to any reader who loves a good mystery.

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review by: date: 2008-05-20 rating:
The first book i ever fell in love with
I am not a big book reader, far from it actually, but Ruby in the Smoke just had me cooped up indoors. This was actually the first real book i sat down and read in my own time, a good 5 years ago. I was on holiday, bored stiff because i was too young to go clubbing with my brothers and i was stuck in with mum and dad. So, mum suggested i read a book and handed my Ruby in the Smoke, she hadn't read it but bought it out of her love for the 'His Dark Materials' series. So i thought, what the hell, i'll give it a try.

Sally Lockhart is a sixteen year old orphan living in Victorian London, living with an education, which extends to - straight shooting and military tactics, business is her only educational strong point. When Sally's father is drowned in suspicious circumstances in the South China Sea, she soon begins to find herself in terrible danger, and at the rotten heart of it all lies the deadly secret of the Ruby in the Smoke.

I am not big into thrillers, nor Victorian history. I enjoy movies in either the Fantasy genre or something a little more modern-realistic (KiDULTHOOD/Green Street). But this series of books makes that one exception - the characters are so lovable, the story is told with such beauty and the plot is filled with a history of violence - but don't let that change your mind, this book is a must have for anyone who reads or doesn't - no matter who you are there will always be one book that you will love with all your heart - and for me, this is it. The entire series is fantastic - but this is my favourite, mainly because it is the first. I strongly suggest you give this a read, you won't be disappointed.

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review by: date: 2008-03-20 rating:
Very good !
The Ruby and the smoke was a very exciting story there was lots of different things going on . When you start to read the story it was hard to stop reading it . The character Sally Lockhart was a very polite and kind person but shes also a firey person which made the story even better . In my opinion this was the best book ive ever read.I enjoyed the story a lot it was quite interesting and some parts was quite confusing but towards the end the story became clear. The character Mrs Holland was quite scary and sneaky and it was very exciting that they included her in this story it made the story better and better as it went alone .In my opinion this story was brilliant and i enjoyed it very much .

Morgan Owen Roberts

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review by: date: 2008-01-31 rating:
A flat story which left me feeling flat
I don't mind PP's books, and fall on them when there's nothing else that catches my eye. This started off intriguing, but chapter after chapter never quite took off. It's not the longest book ever, the print is quite large as if it's aimed at a younger audience despite all the opium dens and drug wrecks, and there's wasted space with pointless prints from bygone times which serve no purpose, and the back end is also used for promotion. So although it's quoted as being however many pages, there's considerably less used for the story.
As for the tale itself, the characters remain flat on the pages for me. I've mentioned in other reviews how I like to feel like I'm part of the world I'm reading and imagining, and I like to feel involved with the characters who are with me through the adventure. But just as with Lyra and the rest in His Dark Materials, Sally Lockhart never reached me and the people she was with remained just carriers of dialogue. It all felt flat and the relationships were portrayed in a functional, sensible manner. Even the Harry Potter series was more inviting and easier to be in, and I'm not the greatest fan of JKR's style or world. I liked The Kite Runner, which was bordering on the intense but worth reading, some of the Lemony Snicket series were lightly amusing and very well done, and The Babushka Inheritance was the best thing in ages.


review by: date: 2008-01-29 rating:
One of the best books I ever read
This book is an interesting mystery, which for some people is hard to get their head round. It is very interesting with many twists and turns and I would definatly recomend to everyone the whole series of the Sally Lockheart Quartet.

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Similar categories

Books . Subjects . Children's Books . Ages 9-11 . Authors . Pullman, Philip
Books . Subjects . Children's Books . Ages 12-16 . Authors . Pullman, Philip
Books . Subjects . Children's Books . Fiction . General AAS
Books . Subjects . Children's Books . General AAS
Books . Subjects . Young Adult . Adventure & Thrillers
Books . Refinements . Language (feature_browse-bin) . English
Books . Refinements . Age (feature_two_browse-bin) . Ages 12-16
Books . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . Paperback
Books . Refinements . Font Size (format_browse-bin) . Regular Size

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